For those of you who've been students struggling with a budget, you know how entertainment and fun and sometimes go by the wayside due to a lack of funding. As a retuning student coping with an extreme loss of funds, it's incredibly difficult for me to adjust to. Going from being able to do whatever I want to, to planning out months in advance how much money I need for tuition and books (and medical insurance that was previously paid for by my former employer), has certainly put a cramp in our fun time!
Fortunately, Arapahoe Community College really seems to understand the limited budget of students, and the importance of having fun. As a student, I have access to some super sweet discounts - next Tuesday, I can get $5 Rockies tickets (if my husband will go - he's boycotting them until they get above .500). I get discounted day and season passes to Elitch Gardens, day passes to Water World, and they plan cool trips like for $10 I can go to the Pike's Peak Cog Rail and that includes transportation there and back, lunch, and the train ride. They also did free tours to Dinosaur Ridge.
But, coolest of all was the two white water rafting trips they planned this summer. If you've been watching the news, you know that this year we've had record breaking water levels on our rivers. That makes for some sweet rafting. If you've ever been rafting, you know that half day trips start at around $65/person, and full days go for about $85/person or more. If you do one of the more "reckless" trips like the famous Numbers of the Arkansas River, it's even more expensive. So, you figure that's at least $130 for 2 people to raft; throw in gas to drive all the way down to Buena Vista, and it's looking to be close to a $200 day easily - not something a student can really afford. Well, the college offered us an incredible deal - I have no idea how they did this, because even if you plan a large group, you're still looking at $50+/person to go. We got to go on a full day rafting trip, transportation down there and back, snacks and water for the trip, and the outfit they went with does a steak lunch complete with BBQ'ed sweet corn on the cob (all you can eat) - all of this and it only cost us $20 a person. Again, only $20 each!
Needless to say, as soon as I saw these trips come out in the student newsletter, I immediately signed up for both trips (they were limited to 28 people each). We were allowed to bring one guest. Ron was out of town for the first trip, so our friend Patrick went with me to raft Brown's Canyon - the most rafted area in the world (or so I was told). Ron and I had done this part of the Arkansas River before, but it's different every time, especially with the high water flow this year.
The second trip was supposed to be to the Numbers, a little further north on the Arkansas, but the water levels have been so high, they've only run the Numbers twice so far this season - it's been far too dangerous to raft. Here I must give a shout out to the fabulous rafting company that we booked with, Buffalo Joe's, for accommodating this "let down" of missing the Numbers. They dropped us in just south of the Numbers at the top of Wild Horse Canyon, and we proceeded down the Arkansas for 26 miles, taking in everything the Arkansas has to offer on our marathon length trip. We took in Wild Horse, the Narrows, and all of Brown's Canyon. This was an exhausting and wonderful trip down the River - not something they do very often, and the first time this season that they'd run that length. When we would talk to other rafting companies along the way, the guides would ask where we started and where we were going and would just pause and grin "Sweet!!!"
It was a wild ride. We had 2 or 3 rafts flip in our tour, and we picked up a group from another company who had flipped their raft and lost it. Their safety kayak was able to get ahead of the raft and pull it to shore right at our lunch stop, which was a perfect place to drop them off.
We were on the river for so long, that we got to experience the afternoon monsoons while rafting. The wind was harsh and the river angry, blowing white caps into our faces on even the calmest sections of water. It freakin' fantastic! Our guide, Jesse Burns, was absolutely incredible and the most hospitable person ever. When we left the shop in the morning, the sun was shining. I remembered how warm it was 2 weeks earlier when Patrick and I rafted and I was too hot in my splash jacket so I didn't one the second time around. By the time the storm blew in, it was C-O-L-D! Jesse brought extra sweaters for people to wear under their splash jackets, and gave one to me to keep warm in. He also brought coffee in a thermos which was excellent after several hours on the raft in the cold. (side bar - it was funny seeing the look on our faculty member's face when she and her husband's raft came in behind ours when I reached down and opened the thermos and took a swig, then passed it to Ron and Jesse. They were like, "Hey! What you guys got there?" I said "Nothing to see here, carry on...")
Super great rafting outfit, so if you're ever rafting the Arkansas definitely go with Buff Joe's. If you go with someone else, you'll regret it as you smell the steaks grilling from the river as you head in for your deli sandwich! Awesome guides - if you do Brown's Canyon, ask for Grant. If you go north ask for Jesse Burns.
So, here I got to enjoy two weekends of fun, introduced Patrick to joys of river rafting, and hang with my hubby doing something other than study, all for the price of $60 (Pat paid his own $20). For $60, I rafted twice, Ron came once, and all for less than the price of one single ticket. I heard the school uses student activity fees to cover the difference in price. Whatever they do, it is so appreciated! They also bring bands in over the summer to do evening concerts, and offer classes at all times of day in misc formats in order to accommodate any student schedule imaginable. I've been so impressed with what I've seen so far from the staff and advisors that I wrote a letter/email to the college president, Diane Doyle, and SHE WROTE ME BACK!
For anyone thinking about returning to school, it's so much fun, and there are a lot of benefits to it. Do some research and choose the one that's best for you. I don't mean to brag or justify ACC, but they have a 100% pass rate for students in my program for the ACSM exam, and a 75% job placement rate after graduation in my program (the other 25% go on to a 4 year), and their Automotive Program was named the best in the nation for 2011. That's pretty impressive for a small school - ok, it seems big for a CC in Colorado, but I'm from California!
I just want to say "THANK YOU ACC!"
Friday, July 15, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
What's this all about
Well, not to get all egocentric, but it's about me - my life, what I'm doing and what I think. Some people are interested in that sort of thing. Others, not so much and they don't have to follow.
Where did this start? So long ago that I'd almost forgotten. When I was in high school, I had a couple of "dreams" or dream careers. The first was to be an anthropologist or archaeologist (I am a child of the Indiana Jones era!). Even now, I would still be perfectly happy living in a tent on a dig out in a desert or rain forest some where searching for that next discovery and publishing articles in National Geographic. I was really good anthropology, forensic anthropology in particular. But my folks didn't really see much of a future in that.
My second was to be an athletic trainer. I took ROP classes back in high school for it, was the student trainer, volunteered at the SPORT Clinic before and after school, and took classes at the local community college for it. I was even accepted into ASU's sports medicine program. But financially, it wasn't realistic for me to go, especially with out of state tuition.
I did what most of us who can't afford to go to college d0 - I started working, bought a house, then a car (it took me a long while to buy a car where I had payments to make on it) and money became the primary motivator for my employment. I've always had a life outside of work, and my jobs have never defined me as a person - they were simply a way to pay the bills and entertainment. I worked my way "up the ladder" and found myself making pretty damn good money for a person without a college degree. In fact, there were many people who were surprised that I didn't have a degree. To that I say, degrees don't make you intelligent; I know plenty of stupid people, or those who have no common sense or people skills yet they have a degree - people seemed surprised that I could be so smart without a degree. Personally, I feel too much emphasis is placed on degrees when it comes to job placement. There is something to be said for trade and technical schools where certain learned skills are necessary; but in regular, everyday jobs, intelligence coupled with some training classes on very specific skills should be enough when most of what you'll need and use is learned on the job - doesn't experience, motivation and intelligence count for anything????
So, when I found myself in a job where I couldn't be promoted without a degree, I decided to do something about it. I tried to switch jobs, but all the jobs within my pay range wanted degrees, too. These are Administrative and Executive Assistant positions, people! Degrees aren't needed - common sense and experience is! Realizing that I was going to have to go back to school if I wanted a new job, I registered. But I hate government, and I want nothing to do with public administration or management. Sure, I could have gone back for a political science or PA degree, had my employer pay for part of that education, and advanced further up the chain to make more money - working 60+ hours a week in a job where you aren't appreciated but expected to care, and you don't get raises based on your performance but based on whether or not the 9 elected officials who "govern" the city think staff in general deserve them. No, if I was going to spend my money on school, it was going to be for something that I WANT to do; something that I'll enjoy doing; something where I'll wake up in the morning excited to go to work rather than dreading what political bullshit may happen.
Which leads me back to the two things I wanted to do 18 years ago.....realizing I would need a PhD to go anywhere in anthropology/archaeology, I chose the athletic training route. There are many reasons for this, but first and foremost, I know a lot about the subject. Being a life long athlete, I know all about injuries - I've certainly had enough of them to know what they feel like, how to maximize healing and how to completely screw yourself up even more than before. I know all about overuse, and not resting enough to allow for proper healing. I know about rehab, and how important exercise therapy is from years of NOT doing it properly if at all. It's also a shorter program, and in two years, I'll have my degree and 4 certificates that will allow me to jump right in to some sort of job in the field, or go forward to Metro State for another 2 years to expand that degree further.
I love sports. I've played softball for 28 years and still play to this day. I love bicycles and work at a bike shop actually riding bikes (I'm a group ride leader). I'm on a triathlon team, though work and school currently eat up most of my time so I haven't been able to train or race this season (I hope to be back on track next season especially since I have swimming as a required class for school!).
I don't have to work with sick people. While my degree will offer a number of options such as personal training, Silver Sneakers, exercise rehab therapy for cancer or cardiac patients, I can focus on the personal/athletic training aspect of it and do that sort of rehab. Personally, I would rather work with athletes who have the drive and motivation to get better, and who aren't (typically) going to die on me any time soon.
Here in the Denver Metro area, we are fortunate enough to have 6 professional sports teams, and numerous college teams right at my finger tips. A few miles south in Colorado Springs is the Olympic Training Center. Colorado has the lowest obesity rate in the country, and the general public are much more motivated in taking their personal health seriously, and pay for things like personal trainers, triathlon coaches, etc. The opportunities here are endless!
So, that is what this is all about. It's hard juggling school with work and a personal life. It was scary quitting a very well paying job to work part time and pay tuition. But it's so worth it. I'm much more relaxed than I was, and certainly happier. I still have stresses like how I'm going to make tuition, or learning all the functions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, but it all works out. I'm a much more dedicated student than I was back out of high school. I put a lot more effort into my studies and try learn as much as my brain will possibly hold. And it's all worth it.
I hope you find this blog interesting, entertaining, enlightening and even motivating. Too often we think we can't leave a job or make a change in life because we're too afraid of what may happen. The security seems to be worth the misery. But life is short, and all the pain that your daily job causes you isn't worth it. There's always something else out there - you just have to find it. It may not look like what you expect it to, but it's there. Just open your eyes, your heart and your mind and be willing to accept what is presented.
Where did this start? So long ago that I'd almost forgotten. When I was in high school, I had a couple of "dreams" or dream careers. The first was to be an anthropologist or archaeologist (I am a child of the Indiana Jones era!). Even now, I would still be perfectly happy living in a tent on a dig out in a desert or rain forest some where searching for that next discovery and publishing articles in National Geographic. I was really good anthropology, forensic anthropology in particular. But my folks didn't really see much of a future in that.
My second was to be an athletic trainer. I took ROP classes back in high school for it, was the student trainer, volunteered at the SPORT Clinic before and after school, and took classes at the local community college for it. I was even accepted into ASU's sports medicine program. But financially, it wasn't realistic for me to go, especially with out of state tuition.
I did what most of us who can't afford to go to college d0 - I started working, bought a house, then a car (it took me a long while to buy a car where I had payments to make on it) and money became the primary motivator for my employment. I've always had a life outside of work, and my jobs have never defined me as a person - they were simply a way to pay the bills and entertainment. I worked my way "up the ladder" and found myself making pretty damn good money for a person without a college degree. In fact, there were many people who were surprised that I didn't have a degree. To that I say, degrees don't make you intelligent; I know plenty of stupid people, or those who have no common sense or people skills yet they have a degree - people seemed surprised that I could be so smart without a degree. Personally, I feel too much emphasis is placed on degrees when it comes to job placement. There is something to be said for trade and technical schools where certain learned skills are necessary; but in regular, everyday jobs, intelligence coupled with some training classes on very specific skills should be enough when most of what you'll need and use is learned on the job - doesn't experience, motivation and intelligence count for anything????
So, when I found myself in a job where I couldn't be promoted without a degree, I decided to do something about it. I tried to switch jobs, but all the jobs within my pay range wanted degrees, too. These are Administrative and Executive Assistant positions, people! Degrees aren't needed - common sense and experience is! Realizing that I was going to have to go back to school if I wanted a new job, I registered. But I hate government, and I want nothing to do with public administration or management. Sure, I could have gone back for a political science or PA degree, had my employer pay for part of that education, and advanced further up the chain to make more money - working 60+ hours a week in a job where you aren't appreciated but expected to care, and you don't get raises based on your performance but based on whether or not the 9 elected officials who "govern" the city think staff in general deserve them. No, if I was going to spend my money on school, it was going to be for something that I WANT to do; something that I'll enjoy doing; something where I'll wake up in the morning excited to go to work rather than dreading what political bullshit may happen.
Which leads me back to the two things I wanted to do 18 years ago.....realizing I would need a PhD to go anywhere in anthropology/archaeology, I chose the athletic training route. There are many reasons for this, but first and foremost, I know a lot about the subject. Being a life long athlete, I know all about injuries - I've certainly had enough of them to know what they feel like, how to maximize healing and how to completely screw yourself up even more than before. I know all about overuse, and not resting enough to allow for proper healing. I know about rehab, and how important exercise therapy is from years of NOT doing it properly if at all. It's also a shorter program, and in two years, I'll have my degree and 4 certificates that will allow me to jump right in to some sort of job in the field, or go forward to Metro State for another 2 years to expand that degree further.
I love sports. I've played softball for 28 years and still play to this day. I love bicycles and work at a bike shop actually riding bikes (I'm a group ride leader). I'm on a triathlon team, though work and school currently eat up most of my time so I haven't been able to train or race this season (I hope to be back on track next season especially since I have swimming as a required class for school!).
I don't have to work with sick people. While my degree will offer a number of options such as personal training, Silver Sneakers, exercise rehab therapy for cancer or cardiac patients, I can focus on the personal/athletic training aspect of it and do that sort of rehab. Personally, I would rather work with athletes who have the drive and motivation to get better, and who aren't (typically) going to die on me any time soon.
Here in the Denver Metro area, we are fortunate enough to have 6 professional sports teams, and numerous college teams right at my finger tips. A few miles south in Colorado Springs is the Olympic Training Center. Colorado has the lowest obesity rate in the country, and the general public are much more motivated in taking their personal health seriously, and pay for things like personal trainers, triathlon coaches, etc. The opportunities here are endless!
So, that is what this is all about. It's hard juggling school with work and a personal life. It was scary quitting a very well paying job to work part time and pay tuition. But it's so worth it. I'm much more relaxed than I was, and certainly happier. I still have stresses like how I'm going to make tuition, or learning all the functions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, but it all works out. I'm a much more dedicated student than I was back out of high school. I put a lot more effort into my studies and try learn as much as my brain will possibly hold. And it's all worth it.
I hope you find this blog interesting, entertaining, enlightening and even motivating. Too often we think we can't leave a job or make a change in life because we're too afraid of what may happen. The security seems to be worth the misery. But life is short, and all the pain that your daily job causes you isn't worth it. There's always something else out there - you just have to find it. It may not look like what you expect it to, but it's there. Just open your eyes, your heart and your mind and be willing to accept what is presented.
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